Abstract

In the same way that an embryo is formed, exciting and creative new things canevolve by a synergy of two things coming together. However, with new things, thereis always a process of adaptation and growing pains, as the new being takes shapeand form. This article will address some of the issues that arise through thesynthesis and innovative nature of collaboration between visual methodologies andsocial research. It will draw specifically on examples from a recent research projectthat looked at the sex and relationship needs of young people with learningdisabilities (hereafter referred to as the Sex and Relationships project), where dramawas used as a research tool. It will highlight the way in which the young people inthe study had their voices heard by producing a play based around their experiencesand views. The article will draw the discussion together by considering thecontested nature of visual methods and I will reflect on my own personal responseto being a researcher on the Sex and Relationships project. Finally, I will attempt toanswer the question, ‘…but is it really research?’